Spotlight On: Peter Scott

FAVOURITE RACING OR RUNNING DISTANCE

100 kays on the trail. I have run a one hundred kay race (TNF/UTA in the Blue Mountains) every five years since 2012. Long enough and hard enough to be a real test, this race has never failed to test my limits, challenge all that I am as a trail runner and deliver a memorable experience for myself and my crew. 

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOU GETTING INTO ULTRA RUNNING?

I trained for and ran a first road marathon in Perth, WA in the late 90s when I was looking for a challenge outside of work and something to keep me on the straight and narrow. Half a dozen years later I was introduced to the Six Foot Track by an old schoolmate and ran a first ultra there in 2006. That beat me up good and proper, so it was a few years before I came back for another, but my passion for the sport and connection to the ultra community has only grown ever since. 

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE ULTRA RUNNING EXPERIENCE SO FAR?

I finished UTMB this year (September 2023). Everything about this race was epic. The buzz of Chamonix and the undeniable thrill of standing on the same start line (albeit a little way back) as some of the world’s best trail runners. The personal step up from sub-14 hour hundred kay races to a 42 hour plus miler. The length of the days, the depths of the nights, the relentless ascents and torturous descents, the majesty of the alps, the passion of the fans and the love of my support crew. Even the frightened and squealing little marmot that I saw as a claw-baring, fang-gnashing, charging beast early one morning! What a phenomenal event.

IF YOU WOULD WANT ANYONE IN THE WORLD TO PACE YOU AT AN EVENT, WHO WOULD IT BE? 

Lucy Bartholomew. Listening to Lucy, I think she epitomises the spirit of trail running. I’d love to hold pace with her for a bit and soak up whatever came my way. 

WHAT ARE 3 THINGS WE WOULD ALWAYS FIND IN YOUR DROPBAG?

My wife and daughter are my Formula 1 support crew, so I rarely need or use dropbags. They, however, never leave home for the trails without cow-bells, a bucket of good cheer and an ever-ready kick up the bum.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE FILM OR BOOK ABOUT RUNNING?

The marketing team at Fremantle Press would sling me up if I didn’t mention my memoir, Running Deep: An Australian Submarine Life. True, it’s more a book about submarines than a running book, but the importance of running at different times through my life is a clear thread. What’s more, it’s full of stories of challenge and adversity, adventure and misadventure, connection and disconnection – and I figure that’s what many of us love about ultra running. 

RECOVERY IS IMPORTANT – WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OR BEST POST-WORKOUT/RECOVERY STRETCH OR EXERCISE?

We took a nine day family holiday after the UTMB this year. Coastal, small town, no commitments, unlimited naps, healthy appetites, sunnies and colourful drinking shirts. It’s my new favourite big race recovery ritual.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM RUN OR EVENT?

As I write, I have 600 days to run before I turn 60. I’m on the hunt for the race to celebrate. In the meantime, my dream run is the run I’m on! 

If you would like to be featured in our Spotlight On segment, email ultramag@aura.asn.au with your interest!